Trump On Charlottesville: "There are two sides to a story"

NEW YORK, NY -- President Trump is blaming "both sides" for the deadly weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Speaking at Trump Tower in New York today, Trump said, "There are two sides to a story." He added that he didn't initially condemn hate groups from the rally's because he wanted to gather all of the facts.

One person was killed when a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters at a white nationalist rally. Trump called the suspect a disgrace to himself and his country.

He was asked if it was an act of terrorism and said, whether it's murder or terrorism, it's a matter of "legal semantics."

Trump appeared to place much of the blame on counter-protesters saying they were "very violent" and he referred to them as "alt-left" demonstrators. The white nationalist rally was called to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a park in Charlottesville.

Trump asked whether statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson should also come down, since both men were slave owners.

The President is spending some time at home this week as he continues a working vacation.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is responding to President Trump's latest remarks on the violence. The Wisconsin Republican tweeted, quote, "White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity."

Senator Todd Young also responded on Twitter:

This is simple: we must condemn and marginalize white supremacist groups, not encourage and embolden them.